Ringeisen, Henderson, and Hoagwood (2003) present a compelling case that: (a) there is a gap between mental health research and the delivery of mental health services in school settings; (b) in order to bridge this gap, mental health professionals must consider contextual factors at the individual, organization, and state/federal policy levels; and (c)research must include key school stakeholders (teachers, administrators) in the development and integration of mental health interventions into school practice. One of the key points made by Ringeisen et al. (2003) is that school-specific contextual factors at various levels are critically important in designing and implementing interventions that are empirically supported on the one hand and also are feasible and acceptable to consumers on the other hand. Stated differently, the field must use contextual factors as the fabric underlying the building and maintenance of the bridge between research and practice. In this commentary, the author elaborates upon and extends this premise by providing examples at each level of school context of how contextual factors can be used to bridge the gap.